


Best Laid Plans

by thelilnan



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Reunions, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 23:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1876689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelilnan/pseuds/thelilnan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel pays a visit, post-"death", to Sam. Reunion cuddles and preening ensues.</p>
<p>Commissioned by charmingwolf</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best Laid Plans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Charmingwolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charmingwolf/gifts).



It was a rare moment when anyone got a Winchester alone. While Gabriel couldn’t personally understand _wanting_ (needing) to be around your sibling that much, he understood that’s what _they_ needed. And seeing as he was more or less dead in the eyes of, oh, everybody, popping in to see his favorite mortal wasn’t exactly a casual thing. But he had his shot and he took it.

Late one evening, when Dean was out scouting with Castiel and Sam was alone with shitty television and shittier internet, Gabriel decided to make his grand entrance. He could’ve gone the old Virgin Mary route and appear in a majestic light—that much power he still had. Instead, he played it casual and knocked on the door (but not before making sure the television went more static than it already was. He was a sucker for drama.)

Sam, of course, did not take to the news kindly.

There was a lot of yelling. Some gun pointing. Even a threat of holy fire before Gabriel calmed  him down. Sam grabbed him then, when he was sure the angel was who he said he was, and he held him tight.

This wasn’t something Gabriel expected. It wasn’t exactly _unexpected_ but still not what he was prepared for. Digging his fingers into the worn leather of Sam’s coat and squeezing his eyes shut tight, Gabriel tried to remember what he _did_ expect. His grip tightened as he realized he didn’t want anything else but Sam’s arms around him and the familiar smell of day-old musk and gun powder. Something human enough to remind him there was so much more than his family on the line.

The two wordlessly fell into Sam’s bed and held each other for long, quiet moments while the television hissed and murmured at the foot of the bed. Gabriel focused on breathing; an odd thing he found he needed when his snark ended and reality set in. Sam held him, petting his back and side, slipping down an odd pattern over his body. Eventually Gabriel looked up and asked him about that.

Sam prepared to speak but found himself surprised by the answer. It seemed just now, in their moment of quiet, that he realized Gabriel had four sets of huge, golden wings that had been obstructing his hand’s path. He gawked and sat up, as speechless as he’d ever been, gold catching in his eyes and the ridges of his cheekbones. Gabriel sat up as well and smirked that crooked little smile of his.

“It’s... Rare,” he explained, amused by the shifting emotions on Sam’s face; awe, wonder, confusion, “But when a human forms a bond with a celestial being, they start to see their true form. You’re lucky all you’re seeing is the wings, big guy.”

Sam struggled to find his voice, hands twitching to either reach out and touch the entrancing beauty of the archangel’s wings, or to grab his computer and start cataloguing the new information. A thought occurred to him; Dean probably already knew. Probably saw Castiel’s wings; powerful, broken, and black. But Gabriel’s were just so...

“Beautiful,” Sam finally exhaled. Gabriel looked away, grinning.

“You can touch them.”

Sam’s hand clenched for a moment. Nerves. Gabriel scooted toward him and stretched one wing out—the biggest, central wing of his right side—for Sam to reach. The hunter licked his lips before carefully running his fingertips over the soft, glittering feathers.

Each fibre was iridescent, capturing its own light and reflecting an unearthly golden glow from within. The feathers themselves were soft and resilient, though Sam knew by gently stroking along their line, careless touches would end in pain; probably for Gabriel but more likely for him. The hint of danger was a whisper against his hand, like touching a shark’s fin or a serpent’s back. But Gabriel seemed to approve, stretching his wings more into Sam’s touch, and he felt the confidence to explore further.

It didn’t take long for Sam to discover that however beautiful his wings might be, they were not as pristine as one might imagine. Many feathers were matted or bent in odd ways, falling out or growing oddly; the casualties of being on the run. Grooming wasn’t exactly a luxury Gabriel could afford these days and he tended to ignore the dire state of his powerful wings. Sam volunteered for the activity himself, no hesitation, all eagerness. Initially, Gabriel had snorted. It was a _chore_ , after all; like shaving (he might imagine.) But soon enough, under Sam’s gentle but persistent hands, Gabriel was half-dressed and half-conscious, lying on his belly while Sam straddled his hips. The television continued to mumble its scrambled shows and commercials but it was all white noise as Gabriel pleasantly drifted to sleep.

Between his conscious and unconscious states, Gabriel felt Sam’s fingers come to a stop; felt the towering body on top of him shift; felt the warm lips brush against his ear.

“I’m so glad you’re back.”

Gabriel grinned and fell, peacefully, asleep.

Just as—

No.

_Better_ than planned.

 

End.

**Author's Note:**

> Want to commission me? Check out my commissions post on my tumblr, [[link]](http://thelilnan.tumblr.com/post/90381632623)


End file.
